Between the Lines

Not Being Allowed to Not Know

How professional training shapes silence, certainty, and stress

In animal rehabilitation, uncertainty is everywhere. Many professionals working in this space feel they are not allowed to say, “I don’t know.”

This pressure is not evenly distributed—and it is related to scope of practice.

Veterinarians are trained in systems where authority and responsibility are inseparable.

From early education onward, they are expected to move toward certainty: to diagnose, to decide, to act. Even when collaboration exists, the veterinarian remains legally and ethically responsible for the outcome. In this context, not knowing can feel dangerous—not intellectually, but professionally.

Over time, this creates a habit of internalizing uncertainty.

Questions are held quietly. Doubt is processed alone. The appearance of confidence becomes a form of protection—not ego, but armor. This helps veterinarians function under pressure, but it comes at a cost: fewer safe spaces to think out loud, to explore alternatives, or to say, “I need another perspective.”

In PT education and practice, uncertainty is normalized as part of clinical reasoning.

Case discussion, peer consultation, and reflective dialogue are embedded into professional culture. Saying “I’m not sure yet” is often the beginning of better care, not a sign of weakness.

When physical therapists enter veterinary spaces, this difference can create friction.

A PT may ask questions, offer hypotheses, or name uncertainty aloud—intending collaboration—only to be met with silence, dismissal, or discomfort. Meanwhile, a veterinarian may experience those same moments as destabilizing, time-consuming, or threatening to the clarity they are required to project.

Both are right.

But without awareness, both can become isolating.

The result is a shared silence where uncertainty exists—but cannot be spoken. When that happens, learning slows, trust strains, and professionals retreat into their respective roles rather than leaning into shared problem-solving.

Ironically, the very complexity and lack of evidence in animal rehabilitation makes not knowing inevitable—and shared knowing essential.

Progress in this field depends on creating environments where uncertainty can be named safely, explored collaboratively, and resolved thoughtfully. That doesn’t mean abandoning decisiveness or expertise. It means recognizing that no single profession was trained to hold every answer alone.

When “I don’t know” becomes allowable, better questions emerge.
When better questions emerge, care improves.

Action Steps

For Physical Therapists

• Name uncertainty with purpose.
  Frame questions and hypotheses clearly: what you’re noticing, why it matters, and how it could inform next steps.

• Read the room for timing.

  Choose moments when curiosity will be received—understanding that speed and pressure shape veterinary communication.

For Veterinarians

• Model permission.
  Saying “I’m not sure yet—let’s think this through” signals safety for the entire team.

• Use PT curiosity as a resource.
  Questions are not challenges; they are tools for refining clinical judgment.

A Shared Collaborative Approach

• Create one space where uncertainty is allowed.
  This might be a brief case discussion, a shared discharge, or a follow-up check-in. Naming uncertainty together prevents it from becoming isolation.